Combination sewing machine housing and carrying case

ABSTRACT

A sewing machine housing having a base with a work support, a standard upstanding at one end of the base, a bracket arm extending from the upper end of the standard, overlaying the work support, and terminating in a sewing head. A one-piece jacket is provided for concealing the sewing instrumentalities and the work support. The jacket has a front panel, a rear panel and an end panel integral with the front and rear panels so that the front and rear panels each have one free end with a latch member provided thereon. The free ends of the front and rear panels are slidably positioned relative to the bed and arm into abutting relationship with the standard and the latch members engage slots in the standard to lock the jacket in place. A storage compartment is provided on the interior of the jacket. A pivotable handle on top of the bracket arm allows the frame with the jacket in the installed position to be carried.

United States Patent 1191 Current 11 3,744,443 1451 July 10,1973

[ COMBINATION SEWING MACHINE HOUSING AND CARRYING CASE [22] Filed: Feb.16, 1971 [21] Appl. No.:' 115,213

52 us; c1. 112/258, 312/208' [581 Field of Search 112/2ss, 260, 211.1;

[56] lleterences Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS.

2,958,304 11/1960 Arbib 1l2/217.l X 2,515,338 7/1950 Colegrove 112/258 X'D220,85l 6/1971 Arbib D70/l 3,570,430 3/1971 Fresard. 112/258 3,440,9864/1969 Fresard, 112/258 Szuba et al. 112/258 Primary ExaminerGeorge 1-1.Krizmanich Attorney-Marshall J. Breen, Chester A. Williams, Jr. and AlanRuderman [57] 1 ABSTRACT A sewing machine housing having a base with awork support, a standard upstanding at one end of the base, a bracketarm extending from the upper end of the standard, overlaying the worksupport, and terminating in a sewing head. A one-piece jacket isprovided for concealing the sewing instrumentalities and the worksupport. The jacket has a front panel, a rear panel and an end panelintegral with the front and rear panels so that the front and rearpanels each have one free end with a latch member provided thereon. Thefree ends of the front and rear panels are slidably positioned relativeto the bed and arm into abutting relationship with the standard and thelatch members engage slots in the standard to lock the jacket in place.A storage compartment is provided on the interior of the jacket. Apivotable handle on top of the bracket arm allows the frame with thejacket in the installed position to be carried.

6 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEU JUL 1 0m sum 1 or 2v INVENTOR. y eA.Current ATTORNEY WITNESS:

finale hvawxc PATENIE 'JUL 1 0 ma SHEET 2 0F 2 v INVENTOR. yne A.Current WITNESS li lm/a MDMMM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This inventionrelates to a sewing machine carrying case, and more particularly to asewing machine housing and a removable jacket adapted to cooperate in aninstalled position with the housing to conceal the sewinginstrumentalities.

In the present era of mobilepopulation a lucrative market forlight-weight portable sewing machines has been created. Ease oftransport has been one major criterion applied to sewing machinesdesigned for people on the go. The conventional design has been toincorporate a light weight sewing machine housing into a detachablecover such as is used for portable typewriters. However, thesedetachable covers are inherently bulky and provide an excessively largeprofile for convenient transportation, and require a large space forstorage. One approach to the solution of this problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,440,986 which discloses a sewing machine housing havingthree flaps hinged at the lower part. thereof and which may be pivotedupwardly into a closed position inwhich the outer edge of each of theflaps engages the bracket arm at the front, rear and end thereof.However, in the open position the flaps, which'are permanently fixed bythe hinges to the base of the housing, tend to interfere with andobstruct the freedom of movement of the operator. These flaps, whichfold downwardly into engagement with a table or other support, providean inconvenience to the operator when doing close detail work,especially when the machine is set upon a relatively large table.Moreover, because of the permanent fixture of the flaps to the housing amachine of the type disclosed in the aforesaid U. S. patent could not bereadily in-' stalled into a sewing machine cabinet of the permanent typewhen this may be desirable.

SUMMARY OFTI-IE INVENTION The present invention provides the lightweight portability required for today's market and overcomes thedisadvantages of the prior art by providing a jacket of one piececonstruction which is adapted to cooperate with the housing of a lightweight sewing machine to conceal and protect the sewing instrumentaitieswhen the jacket is positioned in the stored condition. 7

It is the primary object of this invention to provide a carrying casefor a light weight portable sewing machine.

It is another object of this invention to provide a portable sewingmachine housing and a-jacket which can be positioned relatively theretoin cooperating relationship for concealing the sewing instrumentalitiesand the work support.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a sewing machinewhich is easily converted from a working condition to a stored conditionand vice versa.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a jackethaving a front panel, a rear panel and an end panel, the front and rearpanels being spaced apart by the end panel at one end thereof and havingfree ends at the other end thereof, the dimension of the panels beingsuch that the jacket may be positioned relatively to the sewing machinehousing in abutting relationship with the bed, standard and bracket armso as' to conceal the sewing instrumentalities, the work support and thework space between the bracket arm standard and base.

It is yet a still further object of this invention to provide a sewingmachine housing and a removable jacket adapted to slide on slidewaysdefined between the bracket arm and base of the sewing machine housingfor positioning the jacekt into abutting relationship with the housingin a stored position.

It is still yet another object-of this invention is to provide a jacketadapted to cooperate with the housing of a light weight sewing machinein which the exterior surfacs of the jacket provide, with the externalsurfaces of the arm, standard and base of the sewing machine housing, asubstantially'continuous external surface.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a novel removable jacketadapted to cooperate in an installed position with a housing of a sewingmachine to thereby conceal the sewing instrumentalities, and the sewingwork area. The jacket comprises a front panel, a rear panel spaced fromand interconnected at one end with one end of the front panel by anintegral end panel. The other end of each of the front and rear panelsis open and spaced one from the other. The housing includes a base andwork support, a standard upstanding at one end of the base, a bracketarm extending from the upper end of the standard, overlaying the worksupport and terminating at a free end spaced above the work support. Aslideway may be defined between the bracket arm and the base on each ofthe front and rear sides thereof for slidably receiving the front andrear panels respectively, so that the jacket may be slidably positionedin the housing with the edges of the jacket abutting respective edges ofthe base, bracket arm and standard.- The exterior surfaces of the jacketare such that when-in the installed position substantially smooth planarsurfaces are provided between the exterior surfaces of the panels andthe exterior surfaces of the bed, bracket arm and standard. Means forlatching or locking the jacket in the installed position on the housing,and means for carrying the packaged sewing machine housing are provided.A further feature of the invention includes a storage chamber definingmeans within the jacket so that certain of the sewing machineaccessories may be stored within the jacket when the jacket is in theinstalled position without the accessories or chamber interfering withthe housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The particular features and advantagesof the invention as well as other objects will become apparent from thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawingsin which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment o the presentinvention showing the housing and jacket in the sewing or disassembledposition;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the housing and jacket shown in FIG. 1with the jacket in the installed or carrying position; I i

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along line 3-3 ofFIG. 2 wijth the sewing mechanism removed for purposes of clarity sinceany sewing mechanism may be installed within the disclosed housing;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along line 44 ofFIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1 but illustrating anotherembodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the housing and jacket shown in FIG.with the jacket in the installed or carrying position.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the accompanyingdrawings wherein like reference numerals denote similar parts throughoutthe various views, there is disclosed a sewing machine housing generallydesignated 10, and a jacket generally designated 12, which is adapted tocooperate with the housing as hereinafter described, and which togetherprovide a carrying case. The housing, which is preferably of a plasticmolded construction, and which may be molded in two, three or more partscomprises a base or bed 14 having a standard 16 upstanding at one endthereof. A work support surface 18 forms the top surface of the base 14and allows the material that is to be sewn to be manipulated thereon.Ex-

tending from the upper end of the standard 16 is a' work support 18. Awork space is thereby defined between the bracket arm 20 and the worksupport surface 18 between the free or head end of the housing andstandard 16.

Within the head 22 of the bracket arm, mounted for endwisereciprocation, is a needle 24 which cooperates in a known manner with aloop taker (not shown) mounted within the base. Also mounted within thehead of the bracket arm is a presser bar 26 having a presser foot 28mounted on the free end thereof. The pressure foot is adapted tocooperate in the usual manner with feed teeth 30 at the top of a feeddog (not shown) which is mounted within the base and protrudes throughslots in a throat plate 32 mounted on the work support to feed the workbeing sewn. A thread take up 34, for manipulating thread to the needle24, is mounted within the head 22 of the bracket arm 20 and is connectedto mechanism (not shown) for performing this well known function.Inasmuch as any conventional sewing mechanism can be adapted to 'fitwithin the housing 10, no such mechanism is shown in the drawings, sincesuch mechanism is well disclosed in the art.

Pivotably secured by hinge members 36 and 37 to the bracket arm 20 is acover member 38 which may be pivoted upwardly when the sewing machine isin use to disclose a control panel 40 forming a face of the bracket armand which may support certain of the controls for the machine, e.g.;zigzag control, buttonholing mechanism, etc. The standard 16, in thepreferred embodiments, includes a post 42 which is recessed at the frontof the housing from the outer surfaces of the base and the standard. Astitch control handle 44 iss provided within a slot 46 in the post 42for varying, through conventional mechanism (not. shown), the movementof the feed dog teeth 30, and therefore, the stitch length. Thee post 42is recessed from the front of the standard and base so that it mayprovide sufficient clearance for the handle 44 when the jacket 12 is inthe installed position. Pivotably mounted on the upper end of thebracket arm is a conventional carrying handle 48. The top surface of thebracket arm 20 includes a pair of spaced slots 49 and 50 so that thehandle, when the sewing machine is in use, may be folded down- I wardlytoward the rear of the machine without any portion thereof protrudingabove the top surface of the bracket arm. Thus, when the cover member 38is raised to expose the controls thereunder, there is no interferencebetween the handle and the cover member.

The jacket 12 comprises three panel members, preferably of plastic andintegrally molded as a unit. The front panel 52 is formed at one endwith an end panel 54 which in turn is formed with a rear panel 56 at itsother end. The front and rear panels 52 and 56 respectively, at the openor free ends thereof, are laterally spaced one from the other a distancesubstantially equal to the lateral width of the post 42. The size andshape of the front panel 52 conforms substantially to the openingdefined between the bottom of the hinged cover member 38, the head endof the standard 16 at the location where the post 42 is recessed, andthe top of the front surface of the base 14. The cover member 38 is heredefined as, and will hereinafter be referred to in this embodiment as,the front of the bracket arm. The end panel 54 is shaped and sized toconform to the dimensions of a plane extending between the top of thefree end surface of the base and the bottom of the bracket arm at thelocation at which the head 22 commences in a downwardly direction fromthe arm. Similarly, the shape and dimension of the rear panel 56 is suchas to fill the gap defined between the bottom of the bracket arm, thetop of the base, and the head of the standard at the rear of thehousing.

Extending about the periphery of the work space is a substantiallycontuous step recess 58. The recess, as shown in the drawings, isprovided about the periphery of the work support from the front of thehead end of the standard at 59 to the head end of the work support,

thereafter continuing along the periphery of the work support at 60 fromthe front to the rear thereof and then extending along the rear at 61toward the standard. The step recess at the standard end of the worksupport extends upwardly from the work support step recess along' thehead end periphery of the standard on both the front at 62 and the rearat 63 toward the bracket arm at which point the step recess extendsabout the lower periphery of the bracket arm along the front at 64 andrear thereof at 65 and along the head end at 66 at the line of downwardcommencement of the head. The function of this continuous step recessabout the work space is to receive the outer or free edges of the jacketwhen the jacket is installed in the housing such that the bottom edge ofthe jacket registers with the step recesses 59, 60 and 61 of the base,the top edge of the jacket registers with the step recesses 64, 65 and66 of the bracket arm, the edge of the front panel 52 registers with therecess 62 at the front of the standard, and the edge of the rear panel56 registers with the step recess 63 at the rear of the standard.Inasmuch as a perfect fit between the jacket and the housing issubstantially impossible to accomplish using reasonable manufacturingmethods, a step recess 70 is provided about the entire peripheral edgeof the jacket and another recess 72 is provided along the standard atthe upper end thereof from the intersection of the standard recesses 62and 63 and the respective bracket arm step recesses 64 and 65 toward thetop surface of the bracket arm. This emphasizes the joints and tends toadd aesthetic appeal to, the carrying case; as such, it should not to beconstrued as a limitation of this invention. It should be noted that thefront step recess 59 of the base and the front step recess 64 of thebracket arm define a front slideway for receipt of the lower and upperedges respectively of the front panel 52, and the rear step recess 61 ofthe base and the rear step recess 65 of the bracket arm define a rearslideway for receipt of the lower and upper edges respectively of therear terconnected to a hook member 78 at the interior of the panel by apin 80 which is pivotably mounted in the panel. A leaf spring (notshown) normally biases the knob and hook members downwardly. A slot 82is provided in each standard step recess 62, 63 at a location to receivethe hook member 78. After the jacket is slidably positioned in theslideways into substantially abut- I ting relationship with the standardthe knobs 76 are lifted against the action of the Spring whereby thehook members are disposed within the slots 82 and when the knobs 76 arereleased the spring biases the hooks 78 into locking relationship withthe slots 82.

' In order to mount within the carrying case the sewing machineaccessories, such as a foot controller, interchangeable cams for thezigzag mechanism, and the like, there is provided within the jacket awall which defines with the interior surfaces of the panels a storagecompartment generally indicated as 88. n the preferred embodiments, asillustrated in FIGS. 3, 4, this compartment comprises an internal wall90 which preferably is molded integrally with the panels. As seen inFIG. 3 the wall 90 at its top edge abuts with and is preferably integralwith the three jacket panels, and diverges from the inner surface of thepanel walls at the bottom of the walls so as to be spaced from the innersurface of the panels as shown at 94 and 95. Preferably the wall 90 isformed with a first or front end member 96 formed integral with thepanel 52 and a second or rear end member 97 formed integral with thepanel 56. The wall 90 thus extends from the end member 96 along thefront panel 52, continues along the end panel 54 and then along therear'panel 56 terminating in the end member 97. Of course, the bottomedge of the wall 90 is spaced substantiallyparallel to said panelsthereby defining three pockets 98, 99 and 100 within which theaccessories may be stored. An elastic belt (not shown) may extend at thebottom of at least the pockets 98 and 100 from the respective endemmbers 96 and 97 to the interior wallof the panel 54, and may include alatch to secure the accessories in place so as not to fall out of thepockets when the jacket is in the installed position with the pocketsopening-downwardly. The elastic belt and latch is a common expedient inthe arts and need not be explained further. It should be understood fromthe drawings that the storage chamber wall 90 is configured so that itdoes'not interfere with any portion of the housing when the jacket is inthe installed position.

The modified form of the invention shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 differs fromthe embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 4 only in that the jacket rather thanthe housing includes the hinged cover member. As illustrated in v FIG. 5the jacket ll2'comprises a front panel 152, an end panel 154 and a rearpanel 156 integrally molded as a unit. Two hinges 136 and 137 areconventionally secured to the front panel 152 adjacent to the upper edgeand hingedly mount the control panel cover member 138. To install thejacket 112 on the housing the jacket is slidably positioned in theslideways defined between the front step recess 59 of the base and frontstep recess 64 of the bracket arm, and the rear step recess .61 of thebase and the rear step recess 65 of the bracket arm, until guide pins176 (only one of which is shown) engage in the slots 82. The member 138includes a cutout 178 which is adapted to engage a latch member 180 onthe top of the bracket and thereby secure the member 138 and the jacketto the housing. In all other respects this embodiment is like theembodiment of FIGS. 1 through 4.

It is clearly illustrated in the drawings that the exterior surfaces ofthe jacket panels form with the adjacent exterior surfaces of thebracket arm, standard and bed in the installed position, substantiallysmooth planar surfaces which, except for manufacturing tolerances andthe designed in step recesses and 72- of the disclosed embodiment, forma substantially continuousexterior surface. Clearly, the panels eachhave an exterior surface at the respective abutting joints with the arm,standard and bed such that at the respective abutting edges the panelsand the housing having substantially smooth planar surfaces. The upperedge of the jacket abuts the bracket arm at the front, end and rearthereof and is contoured to provide a substantially smooth planarsurface. Similarly the bottom edge of the jacket abuts the base and thefree or open ends of the front and rear panels abut the standard andprovide substantially smooth planar surfaces therewith.

It should be clear that numerous alterations of the structure hereindisclosed will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. Forexample, the abutting edges of the jacket and housing may be not onlysmooth and planar but may also be continuous. All such modificationswhich do not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to beincluded within the scope of the claims.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim hereinis:

1. A sewing machine carrying case comprising, in combination, a sewingmachine housing and a removable rigid jacket adapted to cooperate in aninstalled position with the housing to conceal the sewinginstrumentalities; said housing including a base having a work-support;a standard upstanding at one end of the base; a bracket arm extendingfrom the upper end of said standard and overlaying said work supportdefining a work space between said bracket arm and work support; saidbracket arm terminating at a free end spaced above said work support;means on at least the work support at the front thereof defining a frontslide-- way and means on the work support andthe bracket arm at the rearthereof defining a rear slide-way; said jacket comprising a unitarystructure having a front panel, a rear panel, and an end panel integralwith said front and rear panels; said rear panel being spaced from andinterconnected at one end with one end of said front panel by said endpanel; the other end of each of said front and rear panel being open-andspaced from one from the other; said rear panel having upper and lowerspaced apart edges slidably receivable in said rear slideway; said frontpanel having upper and lower spaced apart edges, said lower edge beingreceived in said front slideway; the exterior surface of said panelsbeing constructed such that when said jacket is in the installedposition said work space is enclosed and substantially smooth planarsurfaces are formed with the exterior surface of the front panel and theadjacent exterior surface of said bracket arm and said base; and latchmeans for securing said jacket to said housing.

2. A sewing machine carrying case as set forth in claim 1 wherein saidfront slideway defining means comprises a step recess extending alongthe lower front periphery of the bracket arm from the front of thestandard to the free end thereof, and a step recess extending along thefront periphery of the work support from the front of thestandard to thefree end, and wherein said rear slideway defining means comprises a steprecess extending along the lower rear periphery of the bracket arm fromthe rear of the standard to the free end thereof, and a step recessextending along the rear periphery of the work support from the rear ofthe standard to the free end.

3. A sewing machine carrying case as set forth in claim 2 wherein saidlatch means comprises a latch member secured to the open end of each ofsaid front and rear panels; and aslot defined in the front and rear freeend facing surface of said standard at a location to receive thecorresponding latch member when the jacket is in the installed position.

4. A sewing machine carrying case as set forth in claim 2 wherein saidjacket includes means defining a storage chamber within said jacket,said chamber defining means comprising at least one of said panels, saidchamber being located so as not to interfere with said housing when thejacket is in the installed position.

5. A sewing machine carrying case as set forth in claim 4 wherein saidchamber defining means comprises said front, end and rear panels, a wallsecured to and abutting one of the top and bottom of each said panel andspaced therefrom at the other of the top and bottom of each said panel,said wall having a leading edge and trailing edge, a front end membersecured to and abutting each of said front panel and said leading edge,and a rear end member secured to and abutting each of said rear paneland said trailing edge.

6. A sewing machine carrying case as set forth in claim 1 wherein saidjacket includes a bracket arm front cover member, and a hinge means forpivotably mounting said cover member to said front panel injuxtaposition with the upper edge thereof.

. i i i

1. A sewing machine carrying case comprising, in combination, a sewingmachine housing and a removable rigid jacket adapted to cooperate in aninstalled position with the housing to conceal the sewinginstrumentalities; said housing including a base having a work-support;a standard upstanding at one end of the base; a bracket arm extendingfrom the upper end of said standard and overlaying said work supportdefining a work space between said bracket arm and work support; saidbracket arm terminating at a free end spaced above said work support;means on at least the work support at the front thereof defining a frontslideway and means on the work support and the bracket arm at the rearthereof defining a rear slide-way; said jacket comprising a unitarystructure having a front panel, a rear panel, and an end panel integralwith said front and rear panels; said rear panel being spaced from andinterconnected at one end with one end of said front panel by said endpanel; the other end of each of said front and rear panel being open andspaced one from the other; said rear panel having upper and lower spacedapart edges slidably receivable in said rear slideway; said front panelhaving upper and lower spaced apart edges, said lower edge beingreceived in said front slideway; the exterior surface of said panelsbeing constructed such that when said jacket is in the installedposition said work space is enclosed and substantially smooth planarsurfaces are formed with the exterior surface of the front panel and theadjacent exterior surfaces of said base, arm and standard, andsubstantially smooth planar surfaces are formed with the exteriorsurface of said rear panel and the adjacent exterior surface of saidbase, arm and standard, and substantially smooth planar surfaces areformed with the exterior surface of said end panel and the adjacentexterior surface of said bracket arm and said base; and latch means forsecuring said jacket to said housing.
 2. A sewing machine carrying caseas set forth in claim 1 wherein said front slideway defining meanscomprises a step recess extending along the lower front periphery of thebracket arm from the front of the standard to the free end thereof, anda step recess extending along the front periphery of the work supportfrom the front of the standard to the free end, and wherein said rearslideway defining means comprises a step recess extending along thelower rear periphery of the bracket arm from the rear of the standard tothe free end thereof, and a step recess extending along the rearperiphery of the work support from the rear of the standard to the freeend.
 3. A sewing machine carrying case as set forth in claim 2 whereinsaid latch means comprises a latch member secured to the open end ofeach of said front and rear panels; and a slot defined in the front andrear free end facing surface of said standard at a location to receivethe corresponding latch member when the jacket is in the installedposition.
 4. A sewing machine carrying case as set forth in claim 2wherein said jacket includes means defining a storage chamber withinsaid jacket, said chamber defining means comprising at least one of saidpanels, said chamber being located so as not to interfere with saidhousing when the jacket is in the installed position.
 5. A sewingmachine carrying case as sEt forth in claim 4 wherein said chamberdefining means comprises said front, end and rear panels, a wall securedto and abutting one of the top and bottom of each said panel and spacedtherefrom at the other of the top and bottom of each said panel, saidwall having a leading edge and trailing edge, a front end member securedto and abutting each of said front panel and said leading edge, and arear end member secured to and abutting each of said rear panel and saidtrailing edge.
 6. A sewing machine carrying case as set forth in claim 1wherein said jacket includes a bracket arm front cover member, and ahinge means for pivotably mounting said cover member to said front panelin juxtaposition with the upper edge thereof.